"But Sportsradar are here to assist us to combat match-fixing. If they get an indication that matches are being fixed, they will give us a comprehensive report from their betting house.

"They will analyse the players' and officials' performance, minute-by-minute. But there are many contributing factors to determine if players are on the take, so the relevant authorities will have to probe the person in question further."

Four months earlier, two Thai referees received life bans for their involvement in fixing matches, dating back to 2012.

Cambodian league champions Phnom Penh Crown FC were also banned from the 2017 AFC Cup qualifying rounds for match-fixing in June, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport rescinded their decision in August.

At the 2014 AFF Cup, the Vietnam national team were investigated after they threw away a 2-1 first-leg semifinal lead over Malaysia, to lose the reverse fixture 4-2 in Hanoi.

National investigators reportedly went as far as to examine the bank accounts of the Vietnamese defenders involved in the defeat.

Vietnam were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

For this edition, Sportsradar will be working closely with the police, and the local anti-corruption agencies of co-hosts Myanmar and Philippines.

Nicolas Anil is a former Malay Mail and Goal.com Malaysia editor/writer who appears on BFM Radio as a football analyst. Twitter: @nicolas_anil.